Jay said, “Uncle Tran says all of you have to come for lunch.”
On the way to the restaurant, Harper was in the driver’s seat. He said, “Guess Dr. Dent blew a big hole in your theory.”
“What do you mean?” Lane asked.
“Some people do recognize the truth, despite evidence to the contrary.” Harper leaned his head back and laughed.
Lane said nothing.
At The Lucky Elephant Restaurant, they found Uncle Tran, Rosie and Tony waiting for them.
Cole kept Eddie tucked inside his jacket. The dog poked his head out when he caught a whiff of food.
Uncle Tran shook hands with all who sat around his table.
Loraine said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Jay speaks very highly of you.”
“My pleasure, also,” Uncle Tran said.
Tony picked up Cole. The boy put his arm around Tony’s shoulder. “Wanna hang out at the mall after lunch?”
“Sure. Hi Rosie,” Cole said.
Rosie touched his cheek with her palm.
When they sat, Cole insisted on being next to her.
Conversation was slow. It picked up after they ordered.
“Uncle, tell them about how you got to Canada,”
Tony said.
Uncle Tran frowned, then told his tale of leaving Saigon. He finished by saying, “And the elephant I carried onto the aircraft was the same one I carried off.”
“What happened to the elephant?” Cole asked.
“It’s up there.” Uncle Tran pointed to the jadegreen elephant with its trunk curled into a U. “And
Mr. Lane? How are your wounds healing?”
“They get a little bit better every day.”
The food arrived. Lane spotted a white-gold wedding band with tiny-embedded diamonds on the waiter’s finger.
Uncle Tran had been watching Lane. Tran said, “He was married last week.”
The waiter set a bowl of satay beef-noodle soup in front of Lane. Exotic spices made his mouth water. He looked up at the jade elephant and remembered the name of the restaurant. Lane looked at the diamond fragments glittering in the waiter’s ring. He looked at Uncle Tran whose head was cocked to the right to get a better view of Lane. Uncle Tran smiled. All at once, Lane understood why Uncle Tran was not a Canadian citizen and might never become one. Lane also knew how it would be possible for Uncle Tran to educate and house so many people.
Lane smiled at Uncle Tran.
Cole studied Tran and Lane while his fingers lifted a shrimp from his bowl of noodles and guided it to his mouth. Eddie poked his nose out of Cole’s jacket and licked the boy’s chin.
Uncle Tran said to Lane, “I see now why you are good at what you do. We will find out if you are equally adept at keeping a secret.”
Cole said, “The secret of what was inside the elephant? I’m really good at secrets.”
“You might have to wait a while to learn this one.”
Rosie put her hand on the back of Cole’s chair. She looked at Jay and winked.
“No I won’t. It’s obvious. The elephant was full of diamonds!” Cole said.
Everyone at the table looked at Uncle Tran. His face paled.
Rosie stared at Cole.
Cole shrank down into his chair, evading eye contact. Tran noted Cole’s reaction and smiled. “Jay tried to warn us about your intelligence. We should have listened. Cole?”
Cole continued to look away.
“You’ve just taught us all something,” Uncle Tran said.
Cole looked at Uncle Tran. “Aren’t adults supposed to teach kids?” Cole looked shocked at his own words and tone of voice he’d used to say it. He lifted another shrimp from the bowl. Eddie’s head poked out of Cole’s jacket. The dog snagged the shrimp from Cole’s fingers.
Lane watched Cole, Jay, Uncle Tran, Harper, Tony, Loraine and Rosie. Their laughter spilled out. It was a crashing waterfall of emotions collected over weeks.
Rosie put her palms on the table to brace herself so she wouldn’t fall over. Tears rolled down Jay’s cheeks. Eddie barked. It took Lane a moment to realize he was laughing with them.
Acknowledgements
Bruce, for all things medical,
thank you.
For the toboggan idea,
thanks, Ben.
Kim, thanks for the
Oreo story.
Kent and Michael,
thanks for
the editing.
Ruth, Amber,
Rebecca, Katherine, Jennifer
and Doug
thanks for all that you do.
Thanks to creative writing students at
Nickle,
Bowness,
Lord Beaverbrook,
Alternative,
Forest Lawn and
Queen Elizabeth.
Sharon, Karma
and Luke,
thank you.
Garry Ryan
Garry Ryan was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, where he lives today. He received a B.Ed. and a Diploma in Educational Psychology from the University of Calgary, and now teaches junior high and high school students. His first Detective Lane mystery, Queen’s Park, sprung from a desire to write a mystery with an emphasis on the rich diversity and unique locations of his hometown. The Lucky Elephant Restaurant is the second title in his Detective Lane Mystery Series and winner of the 2007 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Mystery.
